# The Birds II: Land's End

The Birds II: Land's End is a 1994 American made-for-television horror film directed by Rick Rosenthal, credited to Alan Smithee. The film is a standalone sequel to the 1963 film The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds II: Land's End stars Brad Johnson, Chelsea Field, and James Naughton. Tippi Hedren, who starred in The Birds, appears in a minor role different from the one she played in the original film. The original music score was composed by Ron Ramin. It premiered on Showtime on March 14, 1994.

## Plot

Ted and Mary Hocken move to a remote, windswept, tiny East Coast island with their two young daughters. The Hockens are determined to forget losing their son and spend a quiet, uneventful summer, with Ted hoping to complete an important biology thesis.
An immense flock of birds begins massing around the small town of Gull Island. A marine biologist is the target of a mysterious, grisly attack. Before long, the sky is darkened by a hideous onslaught of screeching birds. An old timer recalls a similar, horrific outbreak three decades ago in Bodega Bay, California.

## Cast

* Brad Johnson as Ted Hocken
* Chelsea Field as Mary Hocken
* James Naughton as Frank Irvin
* Jan Rubes as Karl
* Tippi Hedren as Helen
* Stephanie Milford as Jill
* Megan Gallacher as Joanna
* Richard K. Olsen as Doc Rayburn

## Reception

The television film received negative reviews. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly slated the production, especially criticizing the writing and acting: "The actors in Birds II have little to do except widen their eyes in terror, and even that seems a daunting stretch for Johnson". He also commented on the fact that it was an Alan Smithee film, the pseudonym used when a director wants to disown the final film.

### Tippi Hedren's response

Tippi Hedren, who starred as Melanie Daniels in the original film, returned in a supporting role as a different character named Helen. Hedren was disappointed that she did not have a larger part: "I wish that it was more than a cameo. I think they made a mistake by not doing that. But it has helped me to feed my lions and tigers". When asked about what could have been Hitchcock's opinion, she answered: "I'd hate to think what he would say!" In a 2002 interview, Hedren described the film as "a horrible experience", expanding on this response in a 2007 interview by stating: "It's absolutely horrible, it embarrasses me horribly."

## Home video

The Birds II: Land's End was released on VHS and LaserDisc in the United States in 1994 by MCA/Universal Home Video and reissued on VHS in 1997 via GoodTimes Home Video. Because the film was so unpopular, it never received a DVD release.
In August 2022, Vinegar Syndrome released a 2K restoration of the film scanned from the 35mm interpositive on Blu-ray. The Vinegar Syndrome release also contained all-new special features, including an audio commentary track with film historians Amanda Reyes and Sam Pancake, a one-hour making-of documentary, and interviews with composer Ron Ramin and production assistant Craig Edwards. The release was limited to 6,000 copies.

## In popular culture

* The Birds II: Land's End was parodied as The Crows in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek.